Life, it's a Celebration!
Signifying all good things about being alive, today is a reminder to check our gratitude, fill our day full of joy and plan for a more positive tomorrow. The best gift we can give and receive as we celebrate life is time. Let’s look at three ways we can use time as a gift for ourselves and others, as well as, how we can plan the positive.
Time Spent Together
Celebrating our children, grandchildren and other loved ones is the cornerstone of celebrating life. Everyday we teach our children and grandchildren how to appreciate the little things, our wisdom, traditions and hopes. We take trips down memory lane and stroll down roads of the future. Whether it is safe and comfortable for you to physically be with your family or you are able to connect through a video or voice call, today is a great day to connect and celebrate life together.
Spend some time with your loved ones, in person or virtually, looking at photos and videos from their recent experiences and milestones, celebrate these together. Connect to the current milestones of loved ones and then share stories and traditions about your similar experiences! The world can be strange right now, but life goes on. Connecting on milestones and celebrating them might feel uncertain right now - but that shouldn’t stop you from making future plans on how to celebrate together. Talk to your children and grandchildren about what you will do together in the future. Start making those plans and look forward to that time ahead. Even though things look a little different in the present, there is so much to celebrate and beautiful things happening.
Family traditions have meaning for you and your children. While celebrating life together, we may have already created special traditions. If you don’t have any or some family traditions have faded, now is a great time to create one or reinstate it. It doesn't need to be anything elaborate. It doesn’t matter what activity you choose, find something you both love, schedule in a regular time (once a week, month, year), and have fun together while doing it. Shared traditions encourage calm, connection, and contentment as well as much needed smiles! Enjoy and cherish the lifelong memories you are creating together. To make sure these happy moments aren't ruined by problems with your sugar levels, take advantage of advanced glucose support
Time to be Present and Positive
Enjoyment is a significant contributor to healthy aging and celebrating life. But how do we fully enjoy “the now”? Three great ways to enjoy right now are: accepting yourself in the now, being positive about the current, and being grateful in the present.
Acknowledging where you are, and who you are in the present, then accepting it - should be celebrated! Think back on your favorite times in life, your accomplishments, how much you have loved and received love, it is incredible. Aging causes physical and mental changes that alter our lives, and our responses to these changes can support our success in aging well.
Aging well, of course, can be subjective but one thing is for sure, positive thinking, and what to think of ourselves has a direct impact on our physical process of aging. This is good, because studies show older adults are better at appreciating the positive. “As people get older, they become better at regulating their emotional health, and looking at experiences and challenges with a positive attitude, according to Stanford Center on Longevity study. In memory tests, older adults recalled more positive images than negative images than younger adults. When shown photos of people smiling or scowling, older adults also recalled the smiling faces more quickly.”
Lastly, feeling grateful and being grateful by expressing that gratitude to other people and yourself, spreads positivity. It also has amazing effects on your mood and ability to appreciate the present. Gratitude is part of the celebration of life!
Time for Yourself
The last step to celebrating your life today and every day is through doing the things that you love and the things that will give back to you! Daily exercise, healthy eating and the hobbies you engage in are a celebration each day.
Do something that makes you laugh every day. An article by Elder Care Alliance reminds us, “Research has found that laughter therapy can improve quality of life for older adults by increasing blood vessel function, relieving stress and tension, improving memory and boosting overall happiness. But even without formal laughter therapy, experts say enjoying a good belly laugh can confer benefits for seniors’ health.” It improved immune systems and increases endorphins while reducing stress and blood pressure! We spend a lot of time alone, especially as we age. Take a few minutes to laugh with yourself, watch a funny video or read a hilarious story. Call up your loved ones and share a joke, even if they have heard it a million times!
Whether you enjoy cooking new healthy meals or want to pick up a new hobby, spending your time engaged in meaningful and joyful activities is a reward.
Celebrate with Community
In our online community, Winning Type 2 Diabetes Together, we are joined together in a celebration of life! We are a supportive community for everyone suffering from high or erratic glucose levels, with an emphasis on type 2 diabetes. It’s the best place to find support, knowledge, lifestyle tips and recipes; whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been coping with the condition for years. Our community is strong because of our past and present experiences and shared goal to live healthy lifestyles with Type 2. Come celebrate with us!
